Former FIFA vice president Jack Warner, photographed in 2011, is the focus of an investigation by The Daily Telegraph. The British newspaper alleges it has evidence that Warner and his family were paid almost $2 million from a company controlled by Mohamed Bin Hammam, a Qatari who used to be an executive committee member of world football's governing body.
(The Associated Press)

The Daily Telegraph of London reported Tuesday that a senior
FIFA official and his family were paid almost $2 million from a Qatari firm
linked to the country's successful bid for the 2022 World Cup.

The story identifies the official as Jack Warner, FIFA's
former vice president, saying Warner "appears to have been personally paid
$1.2 million ... from a company controlled by a former Qatari football official
shortly after the decision to award the country the tournament."

The story goes on to say:

It is understood that the FBI is now investigating
Trinidad-based Mr Warner and his alleged links to the Qatari bid, and that the
former Fifa official's eldest son, who lives in Miami, has been helping the
inquiry as a co-operating witness.

The awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar was one of the
most controversial decisions in sporting history. The intense summer heat in
the desert nation has raised the prospect of the tournament being moved to the
winter for the first time.

The allegations are likely of interest to Nike and Adidas, which sponsor several federations as well as individual players competing in the World Cup. Adidas is an official World Cup sponsor. Spokespeople for both companies declined to comment on The Telegraph's report.

The newspaper also quotes an official from England's doomed
2018 World Cup bid encouraging FIFA, the world's soccer governing body, to
investigate the newspaper's evidence against Warner.

Russian impact: Brian Sozzi, chief executive of Belus Capital Advisors, believes Nike
could be hurt by the Russia/Crimea/Ukraine conflict. He writes at
thestreet.com:

Nike (NKE) has 99 stores in
Russia, 57 of them factory stores. In 2013, revenue from Russia rose a cool
28%. By the way, Nike also designed the jerseys for the Russian ice hockey
team, and it is supposed to be a major player for World Cup 2018 held in
Russia.

Title XI film: A fledgling film director is trying to raise money for a Nike
spec commercial called "Girl Power," currently in the final
development stage, that highlights the role Title XI played in improving sports
conditions for girls and young women.

Alibaba: Chinese e-tailer Alibaba is planning an initial
public offering of stock in the United States, expected to be the biggest IPO
since Facebook. While Alibaba is huge in the world's most populous country,
competitors abound, including Nike, says this story in The Guardian.

Game ball: Official Adidas-designed World Cup ball Brazuca,
meet Gorduchinha. Also known around Brazil as "little chubby," Gorduchinha was
created and is being sold by a Brazilian company with the claim that the the
moniker was the name many Brazilians wanted for the official ball, the London
Evening Standard reports.

Hoeness' return: Both France winger Franck Ribery and ex-Germany captain
Oliver Kahn believe disgraced ex-club president Uli Hoeness will return to work
at Bayern Munich after serving a prison sentence for fraud, according to www.football.co.uk.